Riding the rails out of Chicago will not only get easier, but a whole lot faster thanks to a plan to run a high-speed rail link between the Midwestern metropolis and the Gateway to the West, St. Louis. Just last week, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn allotted a whopping $102 million from the state's budget for improvement of the rail corridor between the two cities.

The plan for the sped-up Amtrak line will allow higher speed trains to travel up to 110 mph between St. Louis and Dwight (about 75 minutes from Chicago). The final leg to Chicago will also be ready to go fast in 2017.

Some furry friends are now back doing their thing over at Chicago-O’Hare, as they do their best to keep the airport grounds in tip-top shape.

We’ve mentioned unique airport groundskeeping crews before, but the herd that tends to the land in and around O’Hare might just be one of the best. They’re back at work this year, as goats, sheep, llamas, and donkeys are all doing their thing. They’re hungry and there’s apparently plenty to eat, as they work to eliminate all kinds of vegetation—even poison ivy.

Practice your sticker skills before heading off to the airport, as one of the country’s largest carriers is going the DIY route when it comes to baggage tagging.

United Airlines just started offering self-service bag tagging over at Chicago-O’Hare in an effort to speed up the check-in process at the airport. The airline’s angle is that it provides more options for customers looking to do things for themselves, and it will free up agents to help out those flyers that have questions or need a little more assistance.

Confirmation that the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum will be built in Chicago has some wondering if Mayor Rahm Emanuel performed a Jedi Mind Trick on George Lucas.

Since the museum was announced it was largely assumed it would be built in San Francisco, near the LucasFilm headquarters. So, many were surprised this week when Bill McCaffrey, a spokesman for Emanuel, announced Lucas' decision to build the facility in Chicago, over San Fran.

Those departing Chicago on the way to their summer vacation are about to have another reason to smile, as heading through airport security at O’Hare just got a little better and little more bearable. For most the shoes still need to come off and the laptops will need to go on the belt, but the whole scene will be more enjoyable thanks to some sponsorship and decoration from the folks over at Marriott and SpringHill Suites.

We’ve seen something like this before, but we certainly can’t complain about anything that makes the airport security process that much more enjoyable. Through a partnership with the aforementioned hotel chain as well as the TSA and the airport authority things are a little bit different over at checkpoint number three within the airport’s Terminal 1.

It's that time of the year again, when airports welcome people, in place of planes, to run on their runways while the weather is sunny and the skies are blue. While other airports are still ironing out the particulars, Chicago's double whammy of runway runs is already asking you to "save the date."

It's only the second year for a run at Chicago's second airport, Midway. The Midway Fly Away 5K will be sponsored by Southwest and will benefit Chicago Childrens Charities and the Special Olympics. The run on what MDW calls "the world's busiest square mile" will happen September 21, and other runways will most definitely still be active.

Across the city, Chicago's own United Airlines will once again host the O'Hare Run on the Runway, with proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project. You've got more time to train for this race, as the 5K doesn't hit the calendar until October 5. Fingers crossed United rolls an aircraft out to the finish line for photo ops, as they've done in past years. Expect over 3,500 fellow runners of all ages and abilities (and walkers are welcome), so be ready when registration opens soonish.

If your travels have brought you through Chicago O'Hare's International Terminal, then you may have noticed that it's hardly the nicest place to spend some pre-flight time. Alas, that was then and this is now, because as of last week, passengers are now being welcomed into a totally refreshed Terminal 5, featuring Chicago hometown brands and international boutiques.

The project totaled $26 million and two years of overhauling, but the terminal now boasts a wider variety of airside activities. Chicago restaurant masters, Lettuce Entertain You, have opened several of their mainstay eateries (Big Bowl, Wow Bao, Urban Olive, Hub51 and R.J. Grunts) and, if you need a pick-me-up, there's Intelligentsia Coffee for delicious brews and Wicker Park deli, The Goddess and Grocer for nibbles. No drama if you've got your heart set on Frontera Grill's tortas, since Rick Bayless has this terminal covered as well.

With a lineup including Eminem, Outkast, Kings of Leon, The Avett Brothers, Lorde and more than 75 other acts, it's no surprise tickets for Lollapalooza 2014 almost completely sold out in less than a week.

The only tickets still available for the music fest, taking place Aug. 1-3 at Chicago's Grant Park, are Platinum Tickets that include everything from golf cart transportation to air conditioned restrooms and can only be purchased by calling 1-888-519-0382 or email at platinum@cidentertainment.com.

Not to be outdone, it seems like Chicago, or at least someone in Chicago, didn't like the fact they lost the title for "home of the tallest building in the US." If all goes to plan, the honor may head back to Chi-Town from NYC's One World Trade Center. That's if the city's newest addition, the Chicago Spire, actually gets off the ground.

For the past ten years, the project to permanently change the iconic skyline of our third largest city has had its ups and downs. Ground was broken at 400 N Lake Shore Drive in the Summer of 2007 and, once the financial crisis hit in 2008, the project went bankrupt along with the many investors attached to the building. For almost six years, nothing but a giant hole in the ground occupied the site, giving little hope for a reemergence of the project.